Hector Berlioz' (1803-69) autobiography is both an account of his
important place in the rise of the Romantic movement and a personal
testament. He tells the story of his liaison with Harriet Smithson, and
his even more passionate affairs of the mind with Shakespeare, Scott,
and Byron. Familiar with all the great figures of the age, Berlioz
paints brilliant portraits of Liszt, Wagner, Balzac, Weber, and Rossini,
among others. And through Berlioz's intimate and detailed
self-revelation, there emerges a profoundly sympathetic and attractive
man, driven, finally, by his overwhelming creative urges to a position
of lonely eminence.
For this new Everyman's edition of The Memoirs, the translator--the
composer's most admired biographer--has completely revised the text and
the extensive notes to take into account the latest research.
(Book Jacket Status: Not Jacketed)